Great Love Stories Of The Theatre

Text extracted from opening pages of book: Great Love Stories of the Theatre A Record of Theatrical Romance BY CHARLES W. COLLINS NEW YORK DUFFIELD AND COMPANY 1911 ADRIENNE LECOUVREUR PREFACE The tinselled thrones of player-queens enjoy one prerogative, at least, of actual royalty; they too stand within the fierce white light of public attention. Apologies, therefore, need not be made to the memo ries of the long-dead actresses whose amorous ex ploits are recounted in the present volume; their intrigues have been permanently photographed into theatrical history. Stage chronicles are usually dull reading for the laity unless the personalities of the players, whose art is indeed wrought in running water, can be re animated. To the typical theatre-goer, the voice, the smile, of the last new-made & quot; star& quot; has infinitely more interest than the names of all the mummers who have died and been buried, in unsanctified ground or Westminster Abbey, since much-men tioned Thespis trundled out his cart. From such a view-point this work was undertaken. Certain great women of the theatre s great past have been studied as women rather than as histrionic automata. Their splendid amours, with men of great name or title, have been retold as the central episodes of their lives; and by the blaze of these passions their char acters and their careers have been silhouetted. Love stories these papers are called, and love stories they remain. There has been no attempt, Preface however, to adopt a pseudo-fictional method. The vein of historical narrative, blended with occasional authentic anecdote, has been chosen as the proper medium, and accuracy, combined with vivacity of manner, has always been theintention. Quotations from the memoirs and obscure stage records which were the chief sources of material have been used freely, in order to keep the subject more closely within its own frame. The articles fall naturally into a chronological sequence, beginning with the early days of the Restoration and ending, in England with the dawn of the Victorian reign and in France when the Romantic movement and Louis Philippe were in the ascendant They differ widely in mood, these old scandals; each may be read in a key all its own. In the case of Nell Gwyn, it is glittering venality; in that of Anne Bracegirdle, platonic discretion; in that of Adrienne Lecouvreur, tragic disillusion; in that of Mile. Georges, hero-worship; and so on through the series. Each theme has been chosen for its human appeal or its psychological values; and each story, it is hoped, will be found worth the telling. c. w. c. CONTENTS PAGF I NELL GWYN AND CHARLES II i II MARIE DE CHAMPMESLE AND RACINE .... 29 III ELIZABETH BARRY AND THOMAS OTWAY ... 55 IV ANNE BRACEGIRDLE AND WILLIAM CONGREVE . 85 V ADRIENNE LECOUVREUR S LOST ILLUSIONS . . in VI MARGARET WOFFINGTON AND DAVID GARRICK . 141 VII THE FAVARTS AND MAURICE DE SAXE . . . 161 VIII & quot; PERDITA& quot; ROBINSON AND HER PRINCE . . . 189 IX MLLE. GEORGES AND NAPOLEON 217 X THE FOLLIES OF & quot; BECKY& quot; WELLS 245 XI DORA JORDAN AND THE DUKE OF CLARENCE . 265 XII MARIE DORVAL AND ALFRED DE VIGNY . . . 293 ILLUSTRATIONS ADRIENNE LECOUVREUR Frontispiece Facing page NELL GWYNNE 4 ( From the portrait by Sir Peter Lely.) MRS. BRACEGIRDLE 86 & quot; PEG& quot; WOFFINGTON 142 DAVID GARRICK 150 GEORGE, PRINCE OF WALES 190 MLLE. GEORGES 218 MADAME DORVAL 294 GREAT LOVESTORIES OF THE THEATRE